Profile: Battra

First Appearance: Godzilla Vs. Mothra: Battle for Earth

Twelve thousand years ago, the spirit of Earth created Battra. Battra was created to destroy a device built by an ancient civilization to control Earth's climate. Battra began to do his job well beyond his purpose and Mothra was forced to intervene. There was a huge battle between Mothra and Battra. When Mothra finally won, Battra was laid to rest in the North Sea, while Mothra survived in the mountains with the Cosmos. Unlike his benevolent twin Mothra, Battra sees humanity as a blight on Earth, and won't stop until humanity is removed from the planet. It's because of this that Battra came into conflict with Mothra, who seems intent on protecting humanity.

Thousands of years later, Battra was awoken by a meteorite in Siberia. Battra swam to the coast of Japan and burrowed, reappearing and attacking Nagoya. The JSDF fought Battra but were no match, and Battra left a wrecked city behind as he burrowed again. Battra appeared in the waters off the archipelago of the Philippines, where Godzilla and Mothra were battling. Battra engaged Godzilla, who was the bigger threat. The two monsters battled down to the sea floor in the Philippine Trench, where a volcanic eruption supposedly killed them. But Battra and Godzilla lived on, appearing near Mount Fuji, with Godzilla exiting an erupting volcano and Battra emerging from the ocean's depths. Upon metamorphosing from his larval form, he flew to Tokyo to exact his revenge on Mothra. The sinister moth seemed to have an upper hand against his less violent counterpart, but soon, in the heat of the battle, Godzilla appeared. Mothra and Battra teamed up to combat Godzilla together in defense of both Earth and humankind. Once Godzilla was defeated, Battra and Mothra carried him out to sea. However, Godzilla, still conscious, killed Battra by attacking him with an atomic ray at point-blank range while he was being transported. Godzilla and Battra dropped into the ocean below. Mothra then flew in a circle and placed a seal over the final resting place of Battra, honoring his sacrifice.

Review: S.H.MonsterArts Mothra

Next on our list of Tamashii Nations Monsterarts figures is the incredible Mothra. Having been released earlier this year, she was one of the characters I was most looking forward too. Having Battra already in my collection, I couldn't help but want his kind and majestic sister. It took some time for her to be released, but Battra was such an impressive figure, I definitely could wait for a Mothra.

Right in scale with Battra, Mothra has at least a 12 inch wingspan. The sculpt is magnificent! Her wings, face, and legs still retain a slightly hairy look even when made from a heavy plastic. Her antennae sprout from her head and swivel. Her wings can move up and down and are made of the larger front wings and the smaller back wings, which can be posed independently. Her abdomen is segmented which allows for some movement but not a lot. This is not the nimble and agile Mothra from the Millennium era but is lifted from the Heisei era. Below are her 6 bird-like claws that can move any direction, but sadly, like Battra, they easily fall off and never go back on again the same. She can be sitting on her stand and a leg just falls off. Overall, the sculpt is beautiful and is the exact image of Mothra.

The paint job is superb! The most iconic symbol from Mothra is the pattern on her wings. The figure gets it spot-on. Every red, yellow, black, and white is expertly painted on the wings. The curving spirals and jagged edges are crisp and clear. Her eyes look as if they are glowing a blue hue from behind and in direct sunlight are breathtaking. The contrast between the black Mothra (Battra) and Mothra next to each other just shows the care that goes into these figures.

Mothra does not come with any accessories besides the clear stand and base which has the image from the cave in “Godzilla VS. Mothra: Battle for Earth.”

Overall, this is a high quality figure with a decent price tag at around $60. I am thoroughly impressed and she fits right in with the rest of the Godzilla heroes.

Rodan

Name: Rodan
First Appearance: Rodan

Like Anguirus and Godzilla, Rodan is a giant prehistoric monster awakened from a time long ago. Unlike Godzilla though, Rodan was not altered by radiation, having more in common with the ankylosaurus-like monster Anguirus than Godzilla. However, Rodan starred in his own movie before he crossed over into the Godzilla series. He would become one of Godzilla's closest allies and would fight alongside Anguirus, Mothra, and Varan.

The original Rodan possess no beam weapons or
special weapons of any kind. Instead, Rodan relies on his natural talents and abilities, using his claws and beak to attack his opponents. He can fly at super-sonic speeds, destroying planes, buildings, and creating hurricane like winds in his wake. With a flap of his wings he can blow down the strongest structure and even hold back the great King Ghidorah. On many occasions Rodan fought along side Godzilla, waging war on Earth and Planet X. Although a friend of Godzilla, Rodan became his enemy later on. However, Rodan would be reborn as Fire Rodan, more powerful than ever with a uranium beam capable of halting the King of Monsters in his tracks. Eventually, Fire Rodan would sacrifice himself to save Godzilla to protect the young baby Godzilla that he cared for in his nest.

Rodan shares a rich and deep history with Godzilla. A fan favorite for all time, Rodan is the opposite of Godzilla-a quick and nimble flyer. The duo is unstoppable, able to bring down MechaGodzilla, Gigan, and King Ghidorah. Loyal and true, Rodan is brave and strong and makes appearances throughout Godzilla movie history.

Life Cycle of a Goddess

The Art of Suitmation

Happy Birthday Ishiro Honda!

Ishiro Honda

Born May 7th, 1911 - Died February 28th, 1993

Ishiro Honda would have been 103 and if he were alive today would have seen the rebirth of the movie character he made famous the world over. Honda directed and co-wrote the screenplay for the most famous of all monster movies, Godzilla, and would later direct many more including the Mysterians, Mothra, and the first appearance of King Ghidorah. These monster movies would make him famous overseas and make him the father of all kaiju and monster movies from 1954 on.

To see a complete listing of his life work please visit the link below:

The Goodzilla, the Bad, and the Ugly

I think the first thing that is asked by every person I meet when Godzilla comes up in conversation is whether Godzilla is good or bad. That's a really complicated question. I could go film by film (yes, all 29) and tell you what stance Godzilla took, but when you look at the series as a whole Godzilla really stands out as a neutral force. He isn't on any one side, and if it appears as if he is, well, lucky for the human race then.

If we start back in 1954, Godzilla was created by humankind from a nuclear blast. He attacked fishing boats, villagers, and finally Tokyo Bay and Tokyo, killing hundreds and leveling the city. Does this make Godzilla evil. Not in my opinion. As explained before, Godzilla is just a giant animal. He can't control what happened to him nor can he really watch where he steps. The landscape is foreign, everything is different, and on top of it all, Godzilla can shoot a radiation beam from his mouth. As any animal would react, he is angry and afraid. We don't call a lion evil for killing its prey. How is Godzilla any different? Tokyo just happened to be in the way when he got angry.

Once we move to the Showa era, Godzilla begins to look more kid friendly. However, that doesn't
necessarily make him a good guy. I would say superficially on the outside Godzilla happens to do good deeds that benefit mankind. However, in most of the Showa era Godzilla must defeat some unstoppable monster from space, under the sea, or alien creature. Most of the time he is protecting his own territory or a challenger. Godzilla does make friends with Anguirus, Rodan, and Mothra during the Showa era and teams up with them on a number of occasions. However, they are just protecting the Earth rather than human kind. Once again, Godzilla is playing the neutral part.

We reach the Heisei era next where Godzilla is bigger, meaner, and badder than ever. The creatures he encounters are more dangerous than ever before and most are coming back from Godzilla's past. In both series, Godzilla gets abducted by aliens and is used for their own good. They use Godzilla's aggressive nature to fight the likes of King Ghidorah, the most famous of Godzilla's foes. Godzilla is mainly left alone by human kind and only emerges when another kaiju marches on his territory or steals his young. Once again, Godzilla is protecting his offspring like any animal would, and actual must battle his friends Rodan and Mothra in this series. He has no allegiance to anyone or anything. The Heisei era shows an independent Godzilla but still neutral.

Finally, we move to the Millenium series, where Godzilla gets a makeover and an edgier look. However, this
Godzilla does set out to destroy all sources of nuclear power, forcing Japan to switch to alternate sources of energy. Evil? Hardly. Godzilla is protecting the earth from humankind and the evil they create, destroying the earth without knowing it. Taking the original Godzilla's bones from the ocean floor and creating Kiryu upsets Millenium Godzilla and he tries to destroy Kiryu, but with just cause, it's made from his relatives bones. Even Final Wars, Godzilla is merely protecting the earth. Neutral.

Gareth Edwards states many times that the new Godzilla is a force of nature, keeping in line with the vision that original series held on to. Good, bad, or ugly? Godzilla is none of these things. He is an animal, acting like an animal would in a world he doesn't understand.

What does Godzilla Eat?

It has been long debated what Godzilla actually eats. Based on his anatomy and double set of teeth, forward facing eyes, and large mass, Godzilla would be an apex predator. However, we've never actually seen Godzilla eat anything in any of the 29 movies. Baby Godzilla in Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II does eat vegetables and is said to be a herbivore, but I would disagree when you're born with a mouth full of sharp teeth.

Light has been shed on the debate and there is no argument that Godzilla's diet mainly consists of Snickers and Fiats. Enjoy!

What is Godzilla?

How well do you know Godzilla? Answer the question below and tomorrow I will discuss the answers!

14 Days

A Brief Introduction to Godzilla

A Brief History of Godzilla

Godzilla 2014

The original Godzilla was born in 1954 off the Bikini Atoll during a radiation blast. The citizens of Odo island considered it a god and prayed for the beast to go back to the depths from which it came. However, the beast destroyed ships and left radiation trails in its wake. After attacking Tokyo Bay and defeating the Japanese army, Dr. Serizawa creates the Oxygen destroy and sacrifices himself to kill the beast beneath the waves. Like, I said, this is a brief history of Godzilla.

Godzilla with his star, joining
Kermit the Frog & Mickey Mouse.

However, the history of Godzilla ranges 60 years, 29 movies, 2 animated series, incalculable collectibles, a star on the walk of fame, and a loyal fan base.  Who knew he would join the ranks of Kermit the Frog and Mickey Mouse as one of the worlds most beloved and well-known characters. When Americans were asked to fill out a survey of famous people they knew of from Japan, Godzilla was at the top of the list. His friends range from Mothra, the goddess of the Earth from Infant Island, Rodan, the flying terror, and Anguirus, the living ball of spikes. You can find his image on t-shirts, mugs, toilet paper dispensers (yes, you read that right), posters, watches, toys, rulers, candy, etc. While not even able to say a word or be understood, somehow Godzilla is able to connect with audiences of all ages.

Join us tomorrow for an in-depth look at what Godzilla is when we continue our countdown to the release the new Godzilla on the 16th.

15 days!